English I Scaffolding

In order to help students complete their final critical writing assignment in the Romeo and Juliet unit, I structured a series of steps from introductory worksheet to final editing checklist. Below, I have included examples of each step by one student in English I Honors.

Each student first completed a survey of the scene they would write on. This one-page worksheet allows students to communicate the basic elements of the scene and locate appropriate quotations to use in their essay.

Next, students compared the scene they analyzed with a work of art that portrays the same scene (pictured below). Each student completed a T-chart in order to outline their 2 or 3 body paragraphs.

After completing a rough draft (not included) students evaluated their own essays with the checklist below. This checklist ensured that students understood exactly what components their essays needed in order to succeed on the assignment. The checklist also provided students with a concrete to-do list as they approached their final drafts.

This student’s final essay earned a high grade because he followed each step of scaffolding.